Corona Virus Rap (a parody of Vanilla Ice’s iconic track, Ice Ice Baby) is a freshly released song from accomplished actress and filmmaker, Giovannie Espiritu. She has a lot of impressive credits under her belt, which include brief roles on generation-defining shows like Gilmore Girls. Giovannie also is known for An Introvert’s World, a Little Mermaid parody which went viral when YouTube Star Tessa Netting allegedly stole the lyrics to it. Being a recluse and a misanthrope myself, I found that An Introvert’s World hit pretty close to home.

Giovannie Espiritu’s Corona Virus Rap was made in response to Vanilla Ice’s cancellation of his latest concert this weekend. The event had been somewhat controversial because such gatherings are obviously discouraged during the pandemic. While Giovannie considers herself more of a writer and comedian than a musician, I have to say that she actually can rap pretty well. She maintains a surprisingly good flow, and her timing is on point. The chorus: Try to be nice, nice baby, stay home is catchy and strangely sensual. Musically, the song is probably better than the original, but that isn’t necessarily saying much. The lyrics have a satirical and comedic element,and Vanilla Ice is always an easy target to make fun of, but the underlying message hits on something more important. A lot of people seem unable to externalize the effects of the coronavirus, focusing instead on their own “individual” risk. As Giovannie points out though, wearing a mask and staying home is also about preventing the illness from spreading to other people you may care about. Wearing is caring. The song manages to incorporate some informative pamphlets, blending them in with the humorous content. There’s not much else to say. It’s a simple track with straightforward, sound advice. Stay home, and if you must go anywhere, mask up.

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